| Psychology is by no means only the study of | | | | complications born of deafness, blindness, |
| adult minds and emotions. In an increasingly | | | | and the like. Many children's speech |
| complex and stress-oriented world, children | | | | impairments can also be resolved by a trained |
| are just as affected by the abnormalities of | | | | child psychologist. |
| daily life as adults are. The sad story of | | | | |
| modern society speaks of child abuse, incest, | | | | It is now well known that psychological |
| family discord, drug and alcohol abuse, and | | | | problems that crop up in childhood can |
| other major problems. | | | | translate into serious consequences like |
| | | | criminality later on. At the very least, |
| Had child psychology been a better understood | | | | unresolved psychological complications can |
| subject three or four decades ago, the | | | | result in an unhappy and traumatized |
| present rate of juvenile crime and | | | | adulthood. These are some of the potholes |
| delinquency might not have reached such | | | | along the highway of modern life that child |
| alarming proportions. It is the feelings | | | | psychologists help to fill. |
| about and reactions to the inputs during | | | | |
| childhood that formulate a youth's policies | | | | Interestingly, child psychology finds |
| and beliefs for future life. | | | | decisive application in the problems faced by |
| | | | especially gifted children, too. Children |
| In addition, there are many problems, | | | | with learning difficulties face problems with |
| unrelated to environmental and social | | | | the educational and family systems. In the |
| circumstances that affect children in | | | | same manner, so-called prodigies find |
| particular. Child psychology addresses | | | | themselves alienated from mainstream life by |
| clinical problems that beset children and | | | | virtue of their exceptional talents and |
| early adolescents. These include mental | | | | capabilities. In every imbalance of early and |
| retardation, autism, learning impairments | | | | late childhood, a child psychologist can |
| such as dyslexia, behavior disorders and | | | | avert serious problems. |